"Question: Do the Bahá'í women go without veils in the East? "Answer: It is not possible for them to do so universally yet, but the conditions are not nearly so restrictive as they were. The Bahá'í men and women meet together. This is the beginning of woman's emancipation from the thralld...

A friend wishes to mention the following relevant reference: Mir-Kasimov, Orkhan (editor); Ghaemmaghami, Omid (2014). "To the Abode of the Hidden One: The Green Isle in Shi'i, Early Shaykhi, and Babi-Baha'i Sacred Topography". Unity in Diversity: Mysticism, Messianism and the Construction ...

Recently came across this significant quote: "This nation so signally blest, occupying so eminent and responsible a position in a continent so wonderfully endowed, was the first among the nations of the West to be warmed and illuminated by the rays of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah, soon after t...

Others here may be better qualified to refer to the prophecies (iranpour has provided some). Per the translations just posted, Baha'is do not take the occultation literally but do believe the Bab can be seen as the promised 12th Imam. Baha'u'llah affirms this in Gems of Divine Mysteries: "All t...

Adib Ma'sumian has graciously translated 3 references in the Baha'i Writings regarding the 12th Imam, the first two by Baha'u'llah, and the third by 'Abdu'l-Baha: * https://adibmasumian.com/translations/truthfulness-of-jafar/ * https://adibmasumian.com/translations/existence-of-qaim/ * https://adibm...

As far as "passion", here is a quote which mentions love but also passion in saying that caution against them is meant to the degree they not keep us from God: "We must never take one sentence in the Teachings and isolate it from the rest: it does not mean we must not love, but we mus...

Hello, An important question... "Regarding the questions you asked: Self has really two meanings, or is used in two senses, in the Bahá'í writings: one is self, the identity of the individual created by God. This is the self mentioned in such passages as 'he hath known God who hath known himsel...

Please see the post immediately before yours for some non-authoritative translations of texts which are published on the authoritative website describing the Baha'i attitude toward the 12th Imam. The rest of this thread may also be of interest.

This quote, also by Baha'u'llah and in the Kitab-i-Aqdas may be of interest since it indicates not only do other prayers not have this requirement, but Baha'u'llah restates the principle of the Qu'ran that "Whichever way ye turn, there is the face of God": "QUESTION: The believers hav...

'Abdu'l-Baha also spoke to the symbolic and non-literal meaning of years and time in other part of the Bible: "As to the record in the Bible concerning Adam's entering paradise, His eating from the tree and His expulsion through the temptation of Satan: These are all symbols beneath which there...

While the Baha'i Writings indicate that while we cannot say for certain that the age of Noah refers to the years of His dispensation, they do confirm that the years are not as we count them/symbolical: "The years of Noah are not years as we count them, and as our teachings do not state that thi...

Since Baha'u'llah had revealed as much at least as early as the Kitab-i-Aqdas (which had been published in Baha'u'llah's liftetime around 1873 significantly before His passing in 1892), I would assume the Baha'is had already been turning toward His direction for their obligatory prayer. "O peop...

Adib Ma'sumian has graciously translated 3 references in the Baha'i Writings regarding the 12th Imam, the first two by Baha'u'llah, and the third by 'Abdu'l-Baha: * https://adibmasumian.com/translations/truthfulness-of-jafar/ * https://adibmasumian.com/translations/existence-of-qaim/ * https://adibm...

Greetings all.. Regarding the proper phrasing for the 95 daily recital: "When using the Greatest Name the words 'Allah-u-Abha' should be used and not 'Ya Baha'u'l-Abha'." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, October 10, 1936, in Lights of Guidance, ...

Most of the quotes I had given were from Shoghi Effendi or the House and related to the role of officers directly or indirectly. As far as the by-laws quote, while Canada surely has its own by-laws, the U.S. ones were used as a pattern for all of the others, and the Guardian had advised they stick p...

Hi Jennifer, As far as an authoritative document or compilation about the functioning of an LSA with reference to officers, if you are in the U.S., the compilation Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities is maybe the closest thing, and the latest version can be found online within the U.S. Baha'i ...

I believe there are other quotations though which might temper an extreme view of this idea of becoming a believer based on some action. I recall other quotations speaking about the fact that we might unnecessarily put barriers in front of people toward accepting the Faith by our actions, etc. I wou...

Hi Jennifer, While suicide is indeed "strongly condemned" in the Baha'i Writings (see https://bahai9.com/wiki/Suicide for this and other quotes), the attitude toward one who has taken their life (or to those who suffer depression) should, as you suggest, be one of great compassion and unde...

Hi Jennifer, See the 2nd paragraph of this quote: "...If any soul speak ill of an absent one, the only result will clearly be this: he will dampen the zeal of the friends and tend to make them indifferent. For backbiting is divisive, it is the leading cause among the friends of a disposition to...

Chapter 79 of Some Answered Questions, "The Reality of the World of Being" provides a counter-point to the comparison of this world as a comparative dream. There are a few quotes at https://bahai9.com/wiki/Age_of_universe , but from Promulgation of Universal Peace (and Chapter 41 of Some A...

Hello friends, I would kindly request friends here consider speaking up or putting in a word on social media for the voices of those of us with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) who lack the energy to do much to promote awareness of our own neglected condition. I recommend ...

Does the Australian NSA have a phone number you could try to explain the urgency? The only additional info I could find (besides just a letter announcing her appointment) was this tidbit about her and children's camps: http://bahai-library.com/hassall_yerrinbool_1938-1988